Signs You Have Anorexia According To Psychologists

Earlier symptoms of anorexia nervosa can be mistaken for regular dieting; the only difference is the person starts to become preoccupied or somewhat obsessive with food and dieting that it consumes their entire life and may disrupt relationships, careers, self-image, etc. Psychologists site that anorexia nervosa is common in most women and can be easy to conceal from other people. If you feel that you or someone you know is overwhelmed by their body image, and are becoming quite obsessive towards eating and weight loss, here are the mental, behavioral and physical signs you may have anorexia.

Mental And Behavioural Signs Of Anorexia

Frequent skipping of meals

Obsession with weight on the scale

Avoiding eating out with friends/relatives

Adopting certain eating rituals, such as slicing food into smaller portions/pieces or spitting food out after chewing

Not admitting to hunger

Fasting for multiple hours on end

Exercising tirelessly even without having eaten anything

Lack of energy

Lack of emotion

Weighing yourself repeatedly

Always check the mirror for flaws, usually after eating

Counting calories

Intense fear of gaining weight

Using natural or chemical laxatives

Use of Dietary supplements

Use of non-prescription drugs that are said to cause weight loss (Marijuana, Cocaine, Heroine, etc.)

Smoking

Consuming appetite suppressants

Anorexia occurs when an individual becomes obsessed with their weight, particularly losing it, and developing a fear of gaining more. The eating disorder may develop commonly through life experience related problems, genetic inheritance, or the general pressure society weighs on the idea of being “skinny” and losing weight. It also develops more within young women in their adolescent years.

Anorexia can be recognized with two inter-related patterns:

The refusal to maintain healthy body weight or BMI for a man/woman, mainly wanting to be underweight

Incredibly distorted self-image (Body dysmorphia) and settling with the idea that the individual is overweight even when he/she is not.

Source: pixabay.com

Physical Symptoms Of Anorexia

Fatigue

Dizziness

Seizures

Weak nails

Irregular heartbeat

Dry/pale skin

Gets cold easily

Drastic weight loss

Irregular or loss of menstruation

Thinning hair

Dehydration

Source: flickr.com

Anorexia occurs when an individual starts to go through extreme measures to restrict eating and lose weight drastically. Most individuals with anorexia nervosa also exercise excessively even while fasting. Anorexia is a mental illness that can push an individual to starve up until he/she is severely underweight, and even then this person can still perceive themselves as overweight.

Experts mostly associate anorexia nervosa with excessive dieting and the stereotype that someone who has anorexia is automatically skinny. Anorexia is much more than disordered eating patterns; it is a severe mental illness that takes a heavy toll towards someone’s mental health and self-image. Signs of the eating disorder can be actions of coping with stressful life experiences and an obsession with being physically “perfect.” Therefore the illness can come in any shape or form and can affect each person differently.

Many other mental disorders may accompany anorexia nervosa (Co-occurring disorders) such as:

Alcoholism

Depression

Anxiety

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Bingeing

Purging

Most aren’t fully diagnosed with co-occurring disorders due to the difficulty in identifying such in each patient. Anorexia nervosa is a mental illness that has established itself as the voice in your head that tells you to stop eating. Over the years anorexics are a broad audience online through multiple websites and apps filled with people who help each other restrict and maintain food intake or weight. Most individuals with anorexia call the voice in their heads “Ana” and go on these “Pro-Ana” websites to live their lives trying to reach an unhealthy and unattainable body goal.

Effects Of Anorexia

Infertility

Brain damage

Heart attacks

Heart palpitations

The shutdown of major body systems

Death

Anorexia usually develops itself at an early age, as the youth are more prone to caving into superficial standards the media push onto young women and men every day. It is essential to recognize that anorexia does not have a particular body type, and can exist within different kinds of people in different ways.

Anorexia is a mental illness that convinces an individual that the body they are in is “too fat” even when the person is at an average weight. This mindset and assumption, therefore, pushes the body to severe and deadly limits to lose weight. If you or anyone you know, show or have any of the signs and symptoms, see, numbers on the scale does not define who you are. Do not be afraid to talk to someone or seek professional help.